1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, in general, to luminaria and, more specifically, to electric luminaria.
2. Description of the Art
Luminaria are frequently used during Christmas holidays as an attractive decoration, particularly on Christmas Eve. Generally, the luminaria include candles placed in a transparent bag along with a weight, such as sand, dirt or a brick. The luminaria are typically used in large numbers arranged in rows to outline the driveway and/or sidewalk of a house.
Typically, luminaria are used for only one night, such as on Christmas Eve, and then are discarded. While the luminaria are quite decorative, it is time consuming to accumulate the various elements of the luminaria and then prepare and deploy the large numbers of luminaria. Sand, dirt, or bricks, etc., must be obtained and placed in each bag. Each candle must be lit by hand outside the bag and carefully placed inside the bag or lit inside the narrow confines of the interior of the bag through the open end of the bag. Wind, rain and snow frequently extinguish the candles thereby requiring re-lighting and the lighting difficulties enumerated above. The candles must be placed directly in the center of the bag to prevent igniting of the bag.
Another problem with previously devised luminaria is cleanup the following morning after use. The bags, sand and candle remains must be removed from the sidewalk and driveway and discarded or, in case of more permanent luminaria, stored for the following year. However, the damp conditions which typically exist during the Christmas season in most localities cause deterioration of the bags and frequent spillage of the sand which then must be picked up by hand further lengthening cleanup efforts.
Electric luminaries have been devised to address these problems and to enable the use of luminaria over and over again, such as on consecutive Christmas holidays. However, such electric luminaria use strands of Christmas lights which are individually supported on a frame mounted in a paper bag. As disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,034,868, the frame legs receive spikes to stationarily affix the frame and bag to the ground.
However, the paper bags are still susceptible to deterioration which frequently limits the use of such electric luminaria to only one night use without extensive re-deployment and cleanup between consecutive nights or the repurchase and re-installation in new bags.
Thus, it would be desirable to provide electric luminaria which overcomes the problems encountered with the use of prior luminaria. It would be desirable to provide electric luminaria which can be easily used on multiple nights without intervening cleanup or re-preparation. It would also be desirable to provide electric luminaria which can be easily set up and removed without extensive effort. It would also be desirable to provide electric luminaria which is easy to store in a compact space.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,567,045 discloses decorative covers in the form of hinged sections which are securable over the mounting post of an outdoor garden light. The covers formed in decorative shapes, such as the shape of a pumpkin, Christmas tree, etc. However, such decorative covers require special molds for each different design thereby resulting in a high product cost. Further, such decorative covers are mounted on existing garden and landscaping lights which are typically not positioned in the same location or at the relatively close spacing as are luminaria.